Information on protests

The request was partially successful.

Ben van der Merwe

Dear Warwickshire Police,

I would be grateful if you are able to provide me the following data under the Freedom of Information Act:

For March 2020 onwards, information on every planned protest or march ('protest') in your area that police have been formally made aware of, including:

1. Whether the protest was authorised by the police,
2. The purpose or affiliation of the protest,
3. The date and location of the protest,
4. Whether the protest took place,
5. If the protest took place:
a). The number of arrests made at the protest,
b). The number of cautions made at the protest,
c). Whether any fine was issued to the organisers.

If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, it would be great if you could provide advice and assistance, under Section 16, as to how I can better word the request.

Yours faithfully,

Ben van der Merwe

@ Freedom of Information, Warwickshire Police

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@ Freedom of Information, Warwickshire Police

Dear Ben Van Der Merwe,

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 328-2021 [Information on protests]

We are writing in connection with your request for information which was received on 6th April 2021.  Your request will now be considered in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”).

We will make every effort to provide a response to your request within 20 working days as stipulated by the Act.

There may be a fee payable for the retrieval, collation and provision of the information you request. If this is the case you will be informed and the 20 working day timescale will be suspended until we receive payment from you. If you chose not to make payment then your request will be withdrawn.

Some requests may also require either full or partial transference to another public authority in order to answer your query in the fullest possible way. Again, you will be informed if this is the case.

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please contact the Freedom of Information Unit via email quoting the reference number above.

Yours sincerely,

Amy Kimber
FOI Administration Officer
Information and Compliance
Warwickshire Police

Ben van der Merwe

Dear Warwickshire Police,

This request should have received a full response by the 5th May, meaning it is now more than three weeks late. Could you please clarify when you expect to be able to provide me with the requested information?

Yours sincerely,

Ben van der Merwe

@ Freedom of Information, Warwickshire Police

Dear Ben van der Merwe

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: FOI-385-2021

Thank you for your email and please accept my most sincere apologies for having not yet been in a position to provide a response to your request and for any inconvenience this is causing.

Please be assured that every effort is being made to ensure that this is completed as soon as possible and that your request will be dealt with as priority.

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write or email the Freedom of Information Unit quoting the reference number above.

Kind regards

Rachel Mumford

Rachel Mumford
Freedom of Information Officer
Warwickshire Police
Email: [Warwickshire Police request email]

www.warwickshire.police.uk

show quoted sections

@ Freedom of Information, Warwickshire Police

Dear Ben Van Der Merwe

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 328-2021

 

I write in connection with your request for information which was received
on 6^th April 2021 as follows:

 

For March 2020 onwards, information on every planned protest or march
('protest') in your area that police have been formally made aware of,
including:

 

1. Whether the protest was authorised by the police,

 

2. The purpose or affiliation of the protest,

 

3. The date and location of the protest,

 

4. Whether the protest took place,

 

5. If the protest took place:

 

a). The number of arrests made at the protest,

b). The number of cautions made at the protest,

c). Whether any fine was issued to the organisers.

 

Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in providing the response
to your request and for any inconvenience this may have caused.  Please
find the Warwickshire Police response set out below:

 

Response: Please be advised that information regarding arrests, cautions
and fines in association with protests is not held centrally and is not
available in a readily retrievable format.  Due to the way information is
recorded, in order to provide a response to Q5, it would be necessary to
manually review all arrests, cautions and fines made by Warwickshire
Police to determine whether they were connected with an event.  This would
not only be in relation to specific dates of an event protest/march, but
through 2020 and up to the date of your request as cautions and fines
would not necessarily be issued immediately.  As an example of the numbers
involved, just looking at arrests alone; Warwickshire Police record around
500 to 600 per month.  Therefore, the work involved in determining the
information in relation to Q5 of your request exceeds the amount to which
we are legally required to respond i.e. the cost of locating and
retrieving the information exceeds the ‘appropriate level’ as stated in
the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.

 

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts
as a Refusal Notice for this part of the request and, if one part of a
request exceeds the fees limit, then S12 of the Act applies to the whole
request. 

 

In accordance with Section 16 of the Act I have a duty to provide advice
and assistance in relation to your request, however due to the volume of
records that would need to be reviewed I have been unable to identify
information that could be supplied within the fees limit in relation to
this element of your request.

 

As a gesture of goodwill I have provided below, information in relation to
the remainder of your request which was retrieved before it was realised
that the fees limit would be exceeded.  Please note that this should not
be taken as a precedent that additional information would be supplied
outside of the time/fees legislation for any subsequent requests.

 

Q1 response: No information held.  Please be advised the police do not
approve/reject protests.

 

Q2 and Q3 response: Please see the table below.  However, please note that
this represents the protests of which Warwickshire Police are aware and
not necessarily where we have formally been made aware by the organiser
etc.  The distinction has been highlighted as a central record of formal
notifications of intended protest is not held. 

 

Date Location Event
Leamington End the occupation of
21.03.2020 Spa Palestine silent vigil
25.03.2020 Warwick HS2 Crackley Wood
Nuneaton Gurkha Monument
26.04.2020 Anniversary
Leamington Black Lives matter
04.06.2020 Spa demonstration
13.06.2020 Warwick BLM Protest
Leamington BLM Protest
20.06.2020 Spa
South Walk from Birmingham -
Warwickshire Downing Street along
21.06.2020 HS2 route
North BLM M6 protest
22.06.2020 Warwickshire
South BLM – Coventry
27.06.2020 Warwickshire
Stratford BLM - Stratford
21.07.2020 Upon Avon
Stratford No Mask Protest
23.08.2020 Upon Avon
Extinction Rebellion
Stratford to deliver protest
Upon Avon letters to Nadhim
28.08.2020 Zahawi
Stratford Stratford Climate
25.09.2020 Upon Avon Action
27.09.2020 Warwick BLM - Kenilworth
Leamington Killing Trees
Spa demonstration/outreach
01.10.2020 Stop HS2
North Slow drive – Coleshill
01.10.2020 Warwickshire
Warwick We the People - Lawful
20.10.2020 Dissent UK
Warwick Empty Plate protest -
30.10.2020 Kenilworth
Rugby None Compliance with
04.11.2020 COVID
Leamington Women’s Safety Stand
21.03.2021 Spa in the Park
Stratford Women’s Safety Stand
21.03.2021 Upon Avon in the Park
Stratford March in Bidford
25.03.2021 Upon Avon
Not stated Leamington RMT Union Industrial
Spa Action
Not stated Stratford Protest over charges
Upon Avon for green waste
collection

 

Q4 response: No specific information held.  I can advise that whether
events were attended or not is not recorded information; however, outside
of the act I can advise that it is believed that the events listed did
take place.

 

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided is as
accurate as possible.

 

Your attention is drawn to the below which details your right of
complaint.

 

Should you have any further enquiries concerning this matter, please write
or email the Freedom of Information Unit quoting the reference number
above.

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

Rachel Mumford

Freedom of Information Officer

Freedom of Information Unit
Warwickshire Police

PO Box 4

Leek Wootton

Warwickshire

CV35 7QB

[1][email address]

 

Warwickshire Police in complying with their statutory duty under sections
1 and 11 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to release the enclosed
information will not breach the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. 
However, the rights of the copyright owner of the enclosed information
will continue to be protected by law.  Applications for the copyright
owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of the attached
information should be addressed to The Force Solicitor, Warwickshire
Police, Leek Wootton, Warwick, Warwickshire, CV35 7QA.

 

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Are you unhappy with how your request has been handled or do you think the
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Prior to lodging a formal complaint you are welcome and encouraged to
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Ask to have the decision looked at again.  The quickest and easiest way to
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Complaint

 

If you are dissatisfied with the handling procedures or the decision of WP
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to information, you can lodge a complaint with WP to have the decision
reviewed.  WP must be notified of your intention to complain within 20
working days of the date of its response to your Freedom of Information
request.  Complaints should be made in writing and addressed to:

 

Freedom of Information Unit

Warwickshire Police

PO Box 4

Leek Wootton

Warwickshire

CV35 7QB

 

Alternatively, you can email
[2][email address]

 

In all possible circumstances, WP will aim to respond to your complaint
within 20 working days.

 

The Information Commissioner

 

If after lodging a complaint with WP you are still dissatisfied with the
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For information on how to make application to the Information Commissioner
please visit their [3]website.  Alternatively, you can contact the ICO in
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Information Commissioner’s Office

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Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

 

Tel:  0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545745 (national rate)

Fax:  01625 524 510

 

 

 

 

 

References

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